1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to mobile terminals, and more particularly, to an apparatus for controlling a booting of a mobile terminal which is capable of preventing the mobile terminal from performing an unstable operation due to a malfunctional booting operation, and a method thereof.
2. Background of the Invention
Generally, a mobile terminal which relies on a battery for power monitors the voltage level of the battery. Examples of such a mobile terminal include, but are not limited to, a mobile phone, a PDA, a laptop computer, a portable music player, a portable game device, a camera, or a camcorder. When the mobile terminal determines that the battery has reached a low battery state, the mobile terminal automatically shuts off.
For example, a mobile terminal may utilize a battery which has a voltage level of 4.2 V when fully charged. The mobile terminal may be configured to automatically shut off if the voltage level of the battery drops to 3.2 V or below, for example.
If a user attempts to turn the mobile terminal back on after it has been shut down due to a low battery, the mobile terminal begins to supply power to each of the components of the mobile terminal. This is typically performed under the control of a power management integrated circuit (PMIC), and is performed only if the battery has enough charge to supply an operating voltage to the PMIC. For example, if the mobile terminal shuts off when its battery voltage level drops to 3.2 V or below, and the operating voltage of the PMIC is 2.6 V, when a user turns the mobile terminal back on the PMIC will begin supplying power to the components of the mobile terminal if the battery voltage level of the mobile terminal is at least 2.6 V.
However, the mobile terminal remains powered on only momentarily. Since the mobile terminal is unable to determine the voltage of the battery until all of its components are in operation, it cannot immediately determine that there is a low battery state which requires the mobile terminal to shut-off. Accordingly, the mobile terminal may perform unstable operations, such as repetitively turning a display on and off, or unexpectedly resetting.